1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parts applicator for applying a separable end stop during a process of manufacturing a separable slide fastener.
2. Prior Art
Separable slide fasteners are successively manufactured from an elongate continuous slide fastener chain by processing the slide fastener chain in various successive steps. As shown in FIG. 4, the slide fastener chain 1 includes a pair of intermeshing rows of coupling elements 2, 2 mounted on the respective inner longitudinal edges of slide fastener stringer tapes 4, 4. In one processing step, element-free spaces 3 are defined in the rows of coupling elements 2 at equally spaced intervals. In a subsequent processing step, an auxiliary film 5 of thermoplastic synthetic resin is ultrasonically applied or fused to the stringer tapes 4 across one of the element-free spaces 3 near one end thereof for reinforcing the lower end of a prospective separable slide fastener in which a separable end stop is to be attached. Thereafter, a separable pin 6 and a retainer pin 7 of the separable end stops are applied by clinching to reinforced portions of the respective stringer tapes 4 astride the inner longitudinal edges thereof. One known device for applying such pins 6, 7 includes an anvil angularly movable into the element-free space 3 while holding thereon separable and retainer pins 6, 7 in parallel spaced relation to one another. When the anvil is disposed in the element-free space, the pins 6, 7 are fitted over and around the respective inner longitudinal edges of the stringer tapes 4. While keeping this condition, a vertically reciprocating punch is lowered toward the anvil to thereby clinch the pins 6, 7 to the stringer tapes 4.
The anvil of the known applying device is composed of a fixed lower jaw and a movable upper jaw disposed at an upper end of the anvil for releasably holding therebetween the pins. The anvil is tilted down from a vertical position to a horizontal position to receive the pins between the upper and lower jaws and then raised to project the upper jaw into the element-free space 3. In this instance, the upper jaw is likely to interfere with the confronting inner longitudinal edges of the stringer tapes 4, thereby splitting the interengaged rows of coupling elements 2 from the element-free space 3. This problem does not occur when the individual element-free spaces 3 are elongated to a certain extent. Such elongated element-free spaces would result in wastage of material when separable slide fasteners are mass-produced.